The Top 10 Black News Pundits

Across our media landscape the number of Black faces representing us as anchors, pundits, and hosts are slim to none. But in the last decade, a number of esteemed journalists, politicians, and educators have made the transition from their respectful careers to the TV screen analyzing everything from civil rights issues to entertainment, sports, and politics.

Here at NewsOne we decided to create a list of the most influential and important Black news pundits on the air today. Some of these pundits host their own TV shows, appear on networks like CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC, and also hold their own town halls across the country tackling various issues affecting the Black community.

Our list is ranked according to who we think is the top Black news pundit today. Feel free to re-order the list and provide us with your opinions.

10. Bob Herbert

One of the most celebrated Black journalists of our era, Bob Herbert, enters our list at number ten.

The former prized possession of the New York Times, Herbert, is now a Senior Fellow at the national think-tank, Demos; and a TV personality on networks such as MSNBC and CNN where he regularly appears conversing about political, education, and racial issues.

8. Toure

Coming in at number eight is the essayist, music journalist, novelist, television personality, and cultural critic otherwise known as Toure.

Toure has sparked the minds and anger of many in his close to two decades in journalism.

His career started in 1992 when he was fired from Rolling Stone as an intern after dropping out of Emory College during his junior year. A few weeks later, Toure was called back by Rolling Stone to write music reviews and it has been history ever since.

Today, Toure appears on networks such as CNN and MSNBC to talk about everything from sports, politics, and civil rights. He recently released a book titled, “Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness?” He’s also the host of Fuse’s Hip-Hop Shop and On The Record.

4. Tavis Smiley

Coming in at number four is the both celebrated and controversial talk show host, author, and political commentator Tavis Smiley.

Smiley, who rode a wave of goodwill for the majority of his time as a personality, lost a lot of it with the African American population and mainstream media when he became what many term an, “Obama hater.”

He frequently appears on CNN and MSNBC to talk about political and racial issues, and also has his nightly TV show on PBS and radio show on PRI.

3. Rev. Al Sharpton

If someone told you 20 years ago that Rev. Al Sharpton would be one of the top 3 Black news pundits in the world in 2011, you would have laughed at them.

But the person with the last laugh is Rev. Al Sharpton.

The firebrand civil rights activist has transformed his image in the last two decades. He hosts his own radio show, Keepin’ it Real, and recently became the host of the MSNBC nightly show, Politicsnation.

He also appears on FoxNews on a consistent basis to battle the right-leaning opposition.